The comeback
Gary Shapiro.
New York : Beaufort Books, c2011.
America seems to be on a downward slide. Our government spends too much; our economy creates too little; and we aren't preparing our children to compete in a global marketplace. Yet our politicians - Republican and Democrat alike - just don't get it. While once-great cities fall into decay, Washington thrives, living off the hard work and tax dollars of the private sector. It's time for an American comeback -- and it starts with innovation. Throughout its history, America's great innovators have been the drivers of our unsurpassed economic success. American innovation transformed a country of ragtag farmers into the epicenter of the world's technological progress. Innovation creates jobs, markets, and new industries where none existed before. Most importantly, innovation moves us forward as a nation, pushing us to succeed and strive for a better tomorrow. In short, innovation is the American Dream. In The Comeback, Gary Shapiro shows us how to return innovation to its rightful place at the center of America's economic policy. The Comeback is a new blueprint for America's success.
Tell to win : connect, persuade, and triumph with the hidden power of story
Peter Guber.
New York : Crown Business, c2011.
Today everyone – whether they know it or not – is in the emotional transportation business. More and more, success is won by creating compelling stories that have the power to move partners, shareholders, customers, and employees to action. Simply put, if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it.  And this book tells you how to do both. Historically, stories have always been igniters of action, moving people to do things. But only recently has it become clear that purposeful stories – those created with a specific mission in mind – are absolutely essential in persuading others to support a vision, dream or cause.            Peter Guber, whose executive and entrepreneurial accomplishments have made him a success in multiple industries, has long relied on purposeful story telling to motivate, win over, shape, engage and sell. Indeed, what began as knack for telling stories as an entertainment industry executive has, through years of perspiration and inspiration, evolved into a set of principles that anyone can use to achieve their goals.        In Tell to Win, Guber shows how to move beyond soulless Power Point slides, facts, and figures to create purposeful stories that can serve as powerful calls to action. Among his techniques:  *Capture your audience’s attention first, fast and foremost  *Motivate your listeners by demonstrating authenticity  *Build your tell around “what’s in it for them”  *Change passive listeners into active participants *Use “state-of-the-heart” technology online and offline to make sure audience    commitment remains strong        To validate the power of telling purposeful stories, Guber includes in this book a remarkably diverse number of “voices” – master tellers with whom he’s shared experiences. They include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, NBA champion Pat Riley, clothing designer Normal Kamali, “Mission to Mars” scientist Gentry Lee, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, former South African president Nelson Mandela, magician David Copperfield, film director Steven Spielberg, novelist Nora Roberts, rock legend Gene Simmons, and physician and author Deepak Chopra.            After listening to this extraordinary mix of voices, you’ll know how to craft, deliver -- and own – a story that is truly compelling, one capable of turning others into viral advocates for your goal.Â
Ten steps ahead : what separates successful business visionaries from the rest of us
Erik Calonius.
New York : Portfolio/Penguin, 2011.
Drawing on recent insights from neuroscience about the roles that intuition, emotional intelligence, and courage can play, "Ten Steps Ahead" reveals what makes visionaries tick and how they develop and use their extraordinary powers.
The startup game : inside the partnership between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs
William H. Draper III.
New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
Entrepreneurs drive the future, and the last several decades have been a thrilling ride of astounding, far-reaching innovation. Behind this transformative progress are also the venture capitalists ”who are at once the investors, coaches and allies of the entrepreneurs. William H. Draper III knows this story first-hand, because as a venture capitalist, he helped write it. For more than 40 years, Bill Draper has worked with top entrepreneurs in fabled Silicon Valley, where today’s vision is made into tomorrow’s reality.The Startup Gameis the first up-close look at how the relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs is critical to enhancing the success of any economy. From a venture capitalist who saw the potential of Skype, Apollo Computer, Hotmail, OpenTable, and many other companies, come firsthand stories of success. In these pages, Draper explores how to evaluate innovative ideas and the entrepreneurs behind those ideas, and he shares lessons from Yahoo, Zappos, Baidu, Tesla Motors, Activision, Measurex, and more. Also, in revealing his on-the-ground account of how Deng Xiaoping brought China roaring into the modern world and how Manmohan Singh unlocked the creative genius of Indian entrepreneurs, Draper stresses the essential value of farsighted political leadership in creating opportunity. The author also discusses his efforts to bring best practices of the venture capitalist/entrepreneur partnership to the social sector. Written in an engaging narrative, and incorporating many of the author’s personal experiences, this book provides a much-needed look at how the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship works.